Rethinking Conservation in Kyrgyzstan’s Mountains CABAMCA Study Visit to Kyrgyzstan (07-11 July 2025)

After the lessons learned in the Albanian Alps, where we confronted the realities of overtourism, fragile

ecosystems, and the urgent need for climate-smart action, our journey continued further east. This

time, we traded alpine valleys for vast steppes and towering peaks.

Kyrgyzstan welcomed us with vast skies, endless mountain ranges, and a surprising message:

conservation here is not something done for people, but with them. In July 2025, under the CAMCA and

CABAMCA projects, a diverse group of protected area managers, scientists, community representatives,

and civil society organizations from the Western Balkans and Central Asia regathered in Kyrgyzstan’s

Issyk-Kul region to exchange experiences on climate-informed conservation and community

engagement.

From the very first day, Kyrgyzstan’s approach to conservation challenged our usual way of thinking.

Instead of relying solely on centralized institutions, we witnessed how local communities are entrusted

with real responsibility for managing nature. At Baiboosun, a community-led protected area, former

hunters now patrol the mountains as rangers, while families host eco-tourism in yurts and reinvest part

of their earnings into conservation activities. In Barskoon region, volunteers protect the gorge and trails

without any formal mandate, simply driven by a sense of duty to their home landscape. This bottom-up

guardianship of nature stood out as one of the most inspiring lessons of the visit.

The exchanges revealed important takeaways that go beyond borders. Ownership matters: when people

feel that conservation belongs to them, protection becomes stronger and more resilient. Innovation

does not always come from expensive tools—simple systems like community games, SMART or PAVA

tools are already transforming how rangers in Kyrgyzstan respond to climate risks. And culture itself can

be a driver of conservation: hospitality, storytelling, and traditions are not separate from nature, but

tightly interwoven into it, giving stewardship an authenticity that cannot be legislated.

For participants from the Western Balkans, where park governance often remains highly centralized and

communities are rarely fully included, the Kyrgyz model served as both an inspiration and a challenge to

rethink how conservation is practiced. While contexts differ, the visit showed that resilience is built

when institutions and people walk together, when governance is flexible, and when conservation

becomes part of everyday life.

The journey through Kyrgyzstan was not just an opportunity to see another region’s landscapes, it was

an invitation to imagine what conservation could look like if trust, inclusion, and shared responsibility

were placed at its core. This experience reminded us that while contexts differ, the spirit of stewardship

is universal. For the Western Balkans, Kyrgyzstan’s experience is not a blueprint to copy, but a spark to

rethink how parks can empower communities, embrace creativity, and build resilience for the future.